THE influence and efforts of medical leader Professor Kiran Patel have undoubtedly saved countless lives through the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The doctor, the deputy chief executive officer and the chief medical officer for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, has been at the forefront of guiding the organisation through the most devastating global crisis of a generation.

Driven by Patel’s leadership, the trust was nominated by Downing Street to be the NHS organisation portrayed in the media to signify how the services were coping well with the pandemic. His expertise has also seen him feature in the media on several occasions, including a recent BBC Panorama documentary and Sky News.

As well as working full-time, dividing his time planning and delivering healthcare services for the hospital, he has also been working hard to voice concerns on health inequalities during the pandemic. The charity South Asian Health Foundation (SAHF), which Patel founded in 1999, has continuously fought for the needs of its community.

With the collaborative efforts of his SAHF colleagues, Patel helped to provide guidance on how to reduce risks of Covid-19 in BAME groups by working with the health services and ethnic communities. The comprehensive report led to an array of vital recommendations for individuals, communities, health services, employers, local authorities and government.

“It was an honour to be a co-author of the SAHF guidance which came out in the midst of the pandemic and see it used not just in the UK but globally to save lives,” Patel tells the GG2 Power List.

He also highlighted the pleasure of being able to observe the efforts of NHS staff during the crisis.

“Being able to witness the incredibly hard work of NHS staff and the support of the public has been a privilege,” Patel, a consultant cardiologist, said.

Having worked